Hecate Enthroned – Virulent Rapture

Anyone know follows the British black metal scene will have no doubt encountered the legendary, if somewhat unsung, heroes of the scene: Hecate Enthroned. Following the release of Redimus in 2004, the band have remained fairly quiet – or as quiet as you can possibly get when playing black metal. However, following their recent pact with Italian label Crank Music, Hecate Enthroned are set to rise again.

The eerie orchestration of Thrones Of Shadow acts as the beginning of the ritual that is Virulent Rapture. The haunting orchestration leads into the fierce wailing guitars and bestial vocals, as the keyboard passages create a Poe-like atmosphere that glides gently between the crushing use of guitars, bass and drums and the hate-flavoured vocals. Unchained sees the waves of Plutonian darkness continue to flood forth from the snarling guitars and hypnotic keyboard medleys whereas the bass and drums are more thunderous and barbaric, creating a perfect contrast.

The introduction of Abyssmal March creates an atmospheric mood, painted with varying Cimmerian shades but the unrelenting charge of the heavier instrumentation rushes in, leading a vicious use of screams and Hadean keyboard medleys. Plagued By Black Death features a melancholy piano passage which dances like a spirit at dance macabre with the vocals and guitars in a certain, almost seductive manner portraying beauty and a bestial nature in one vessel. Euphoria explodes in like a volcano, domineering one’s hearing with a visceral assault of guitars and drums and some heavy punches from the vocals. The guitars whip out melodic passages, which are accompanied by a mystifying layer of orchestration.

Virulent Rapture is a flood of guitars on a biblical scale of proportions, leaving nothing but a path of ruin and devastation – and probably some sore necks as well – in its wake. The hypnotic orchestration does little to sooth the destructive nature of the song, in fact, it enhances it in a dark and ethereal manner. The one calm during in the storm is produced by the haunting guest vocals of Sarah Jezebel Deva who adds an enchanting element to the song. Life comes across as more of a gothic doom anthem, lending an obsessive, memorable and augural sound through the shadowy voices of the guitars and illusory keyboards. The stern use of bestial vocals do contrast away from the music, employing a strong black metal element there.

The alarming riffs of To Wield The Hand Of Perdition leave no room for mercy as they tear their way through the song like wolves hunting their prey. The vocals are formidable at each turn, while the rhythm sections made up by a terrifying assault of drums and bass, alongside the keyboards, strengthen the track. Of Witchery And The Blood Moon, a title that rings true to the band’s name, is somber in its presentation, painting an image of an unrelenting arctic winds, leaving only a cold trail of wintry enchantments. Immateria is a break from the fierce snapping of riffs, lyrical war cries and barbaric percussion assaults, taking the listen sailing down a more gentle river of memorable medleys until Path Of Silence unleashes a storm of deathly riffs and vocals sharp enough to cut steel in two. The percussion and bass falls down heavier than a ton of bricks, finishing off the devastation left by the previous tracks. The keyboards and orchestration finalise the black metal incantations, keeping the band’s signature sound unscathed throughout the chaos.

Raise your horns and bend your knees. The kings of British black metal, Hecate Enthroned, have returned with a masterpiece that has not only become a complete evolution of their sound but proves that they are one of the best bands on the scene and they certainly show no signs of abdicating from their throne just yet.